1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to safe deposit boxes. More particularly, this invention relates to safe deposit box constructions having removable shelves and interconnectable doors allowing an intermediate shelf between adjoining boxes to be removed and the doors of the adjoining boxes interconnected to create an enlarged safe deposit box having the size of the combined boxes.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventional safe deposit box constructions comprise a two dimensional array of safe deposit boxes which are manufactured together as a integral unit for sale to an institution such as a bank, savings and loan, or a private vault company. Each of the safe deposit boxes in the array is configured to slideably receive a bond box for safe storage of valuables.
It has long been recognized that is it desirable for the institution to have a mixture of various sized safe deposit boxes for rental to its customers at different rental rates. Hence, the array of safe deposit boxes may actually comprise a mixture of larger and smaller safe deposit boxes for rental to the customers. Unfortunately, it is often difficult or impossible for the institution to predict the customer demand for any particular size safe deposit box. Accordingly, an oversupply or an undersupply of a particular size of safe deposit boxes usually exists. The institution thus suffers customer dissatisfaction and loss of income.
In recent years, ganged safe deposit box constructions have been developed which include uniformly sized safe deposit boxes having removable shelves and interconnectable doors which allow an intermediate shelf between adjoining safe deposit boxes to be removed and the doors of the boxes interconnected to create a double-sized safe deposit box formed from the two adjoining boxes. Larger sized boxes (e.g. triple- & quadruple-sized) may be created by ganging additional adjoining boxes.
More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,916 entitled "Plural Box Construction" discloses a ganged safe deposit box construction having removable shelves and interconnectable doors. In Patent '916, the intermediate shelves each include a down-turned front edge which is thicker than the crack between the adjacent doors of the adjoining boxes. The shelf, therefore, cannot be removed through the crack between adjacent doors and is retained in position between adjoining boxes by the closure of one or both of the adjacent doors. Conversely, both adjacent doors must be opened to allow removal of the shelf. To create a double-sized box, the adjacent doors are opened fully and the intermediate shelf between the adjoining boxes is removed. The adjacent doors are then interconnected by means of a spline which fits into a groove in the edges of the adjacent doors. A plate may be affixed to the adjacent doors to prevent spreading of the doors thereby retaining the spline in position therebetween. The interconnected doors thus function in the conventional manner as a single door to close about the enlarged safe deposit box, now comprised of the two adjoining boxes.
An object of this invention is to provide an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the safe deposit box art.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved safe deposit box construction having removable shelves and interconnectable doors which allow an intermediate shelf between adjoining boxes to be removed and the adjacent doors interconnected to create a safe deposit box of a size equal to the combined areas of the adjoining boxes.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved safe deposit box construction having easily removable shelves and easily interconnectable doors that can be quickly removed and interconnected with the use of a simple allen wrench.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved safe deposit box construction which minimizes unnoticeable intrusion.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved safe deposit box construction having removable shelves and interconnectable doors in which the shelves comprise a flat configuration thereby eliminating the need for any bending or other angle forming operations during the manufacture thereof.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.